Gone Rogue
by herochariot
Summary: Hank is normal. Or as normal as Half Bloods can be. This story chronicles his adventures as he trys to juggle two different lives: An average kid by day, a monster hunting demigod by night.


I swiveled my head right… then left. Quickly I drew my sword, ignoring the blood soaring through his veins. Quickly I prayed to my father, letting my mind's eye visualize the burning sun. "_Oh, Dad… I know you like to hear me sing…_" I speedily intoned. "the truth is… I don't have much time… so please grant me like… stuff…" I continued awkwardly. "so like… can I have like, cyclops power or something? Like X-Men?" I continued to hum the impromptu melody in my head as I turned the corner of the dark school room. Everywhere he looked was dimly illuminated, the sunlight that radiated from my skin sang softly. Yah. Light. Singing. Got a problem?

Suddenly, my light went out. I was surrounded in deep darkness. I struggled to turn myself on, visualizing a flashlight flickering on. Suddenly, a cold arm was pressing against my throat. The figure behind me wrenched my helpless body to the ground. I smiled. "Nice singing. A little flat," Justin muttered, smiling. He held out his hand. I purposely burned it when he helped me up. "Ow! That actually hurt!" he yelped, shoving his now red hand into my face. I sniffed it dramatically. "Ah… medium rare?" I said wisely, thoughtfully stroking my chin. For that I got a whack on the head.

Wait, you're confused? OH KNOW! You know what comes next? Exposition! Otherwise my life story! Up till now, I suppose. Though I hope to live a bit longer than 'till now'. So anyway. Exposition.

I live in Texas. That's right, the lone star state. But don't start picturing me wearing a cowboy hat, that's not my style. Instead of riding horses to school, in my town we ride in suburbans. You get the picture? Let's just say the bubble that I live in is mostly secure in its place as one of the richest areas in Texas.

Me and Justin go way back, in 13 year old terms. We met in 5th grade, before we found out the Truth. He was a tall and muscular boy with thick black curls and a penchant for arguing and being generally disagreeable. I, on the other hand, was pudgy and geeky, with no friends to call my own. Somehow me and Justin were able to become fast friends, with us spending the hours arguing about mostly unimportant things and always being able to challenge each other. We slowly grew apart as the years past, and as I learned later, he had learned the Truth.

I spent most of my 6th year in the public school system hanging out with perfectly normal people. Connor, my best friend, was an average and uninterestingly ordinary person but it was nice to have a friend that had unequivocal loyalty. 6th grade was also my most lonely year, as my grades remained stellar but my unfortunate awkwardness got in the way of any friends.

Then, in the first year of 7th grade, it happened. I was in my room, the sun blazing through the windows. The glare diverted my eyes but I basked in the warmth it brought into my cool room. My skin felt strangely… prickly. It was a strong feeling, almost as if I needed to scratch it. I stared at my arms, and they were illuminated by the sunlight. But when I stepped into the shadows, my skin remained bright. The area around me had sun streaming in, but it was not from the window. It was me.

Then, all the sudden, my golden skin returned to its usual pale disposition. I gasped in shock, realizing I hadn't breathed through the entire experience. I glanced between my skin and the window. "wah… wait whaaa?" I murmured. _I could have sworn there was… I don't know…_ Once I began to process what had happened, the whole situation seemed ludicrous. _In fact, it was probably just a bad dream anyway. Jesus. That had me scared to death. _My skin still tingled though, a reminder of the experience I chose to forget.

I had a single mother, but she more than made up for the lack of a 'role model' in the household. That's how people always said it. After my father left i had sympathy in abundance, but my mom always told it to me straight. I always knew my dad had left because of other women. I knew my mom never had owned a wedding ring. But i had never thought it strange that I never saw a photo of my father. Figuring my mother had burned any raemaining evidence of his existence, the only time I ever saw her let down her guard was when she would sit on the back porch, wistfully gazing up at the I tried not to disturb her, but today I decided to take my chances.

"Mom?" I asked hesitantly.

she murmured an almost intelligible reply. Bingo. while she was caught up in nostalgic memories, i dove straight towards the heart.


End file.
